Anchoring floating docks, or other floating bodies, has been an art without much improvement or change in recent times. Generally, when a dock is constructed and attached on one end to land, or otherwise fixed at one end, a further end which extends into deeper water is anchored in place. This could generally apply to pedestrian or boat docks, and includes various sizes and shapes of docks, including those that have more than one end extending into deeper water.
Typical anchors currently being used consist of weighted items or concrete forms that are tied by rope or chain to an underside of the dock and left to sink in the water on which the dock is floating. A plurality of these anchors are typically used.
One of the problems with current anchors is their overall weight. The effectiveness of an anchor is directly proportional to its weight, and thus, transporting anchors to an installation site has been a problem. This is particularly true for privately built docks, such as those at personal cottages. The typical car can only haul a very limited number of these anchors to a worksite. Even when transporting large numbers, the towing capacity of the vehicle used is crucial and the costs associated with transporting large numbers of these anchors can be prohibitive. Once transported, the anchors are also difficult to manipulate or carry by hand to particular places of use. In some cases, dock builders have resorted to using other items in large numbers to anchor the dock in place, such as a number of used tires. These impromptu solutions cause other problems, for example in the water beneath the deck.
It is therefore an object of the invention to address at least one of the aforementioned problems with the prior art, and thus provide a novel and improved dock anchor.